


And A Cupid For You

by Novkat21



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Angst, Blood, Bonding, Character Death, Dead Claudia Stilinski, Demon Deals, Demon Kate Argent, Demons, Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mates, Mates Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Mentioned Paige, Mentioned Scott McCall, Minor Character Death, Nemeton, Non-Human Claudia Stilinski, POV Derek, Past Derek Hale/Paige, Puppy Piles, Slow Build, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Stiles Has Panic Attacks, Stiles Stilinski as Cupid, Stiles Stilinski's Jeep's Name is Roscoe, Stiles Stilinski's Name is Mieczysław, Summoning, Temporary Character Death, The Hale Fire, Violence, Werewolf Derek, Werewolf Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-05-16 00:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14800523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novkat21/pseuds/Novkat21
Summary: Prompt (via Pinterest): He came home after the worst date of his life. Sitting in his living room is Cupid, getting really drunk and wanting him to know he's the hardest person in history to find a mate for - and the reason he might get fired.~"I really shouldn't tell you. But I'm already close to getting fired, so who cares?" The man threw his head back, lips tight around the champagne bottle and he took a few gulps. He wiped the back of his sleeve across his mouth once done and smirked. "I'm a cupid called Stiles. I'm here because you are going to literally ruin my life."Derek raised one eyebrow, but stayed in his predatory position. "Cupid is just a myth. Now, who are you really?"Stiles rolled his eyes. "Fine. Don't believe me. But my name really is Stiles and you're screwing up my life."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [And A Cupid For You (Traducción)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17441555) by [lbp98l](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lbp98l/pseuds/lbp98l)



> Surprise!!!
> 
> So I've had this idea for a while and it's finally coming out. It has not turned out the way I expected it to at all (Thank Derek and Stiles...). But I'm still very excited for you to read it!
> 
> *Not beta read! I apologize for any mistakes (please let me know of any so I can fix it)! Also, let me know if I missed a tag!
> 
> Let me know what you think! Depending on the response, I might write more. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The door slammed shut as Derek toed his boots off, then leaned back against it, sighing heavily. He was clenching and unclenching his hands, eyes closed. He took another deep breath before walking into his living room.

He didn't get very far, though. The muffled sound of the TV reached his ears and he lowered himself down into a crouch, claws growing sharp and fangs piercing through his gums.

A loud, wet pop and a sigh sounded. "Welcome home, sourwolf."

Derek pulled his brow down as he slowly made his way into the living room. He could only see the silhouette of a person sitting on his couch, a commercial quietly playing. The sour smell of alcohol wafted up his nose, a hint of worry and fear following suit. 

"Who are you?" he demanded, stepping a little further into the room. 

"That's a nice welcome," came the sarcastic reply. Derek let out a low growl. "Oh, don't get feisty now. I'm not looking for a fight."

"Then what are you doing here? And who are you?"

The TV suddenly turned off, sending the room into blackness save for the street light attempting to shine through the blinds. The silhouette on the couch vanished and Derek's eyes darted around the room. He moved slowly, cautiously, hunched over and ready to pounce.

The light flickered on overhead and Derek spun to face the entrance. A young lanky man stood beside the light switch, one hand holding a bottle of champagne and the other resting on the switch. Amber eyes met his, a flicker of amusement dancing across them. 

Derek growled and darted toward him, but the man vanished, causing him to scratch paint off the wall.

A whisper sounded behind him, "Missed me." Derek twisted around, thrusting his claws out, then stopped. The man was standing a few feet away, unaffected. "Is that the best you got?"

"Who the hell are you and why are you in my home?!"

"I really shouldn't tell you. But I'm already close to getting fired, so who cares?" The man threw his head back, lips tight around the champagne bottle and he took a few gulps. He wiped the back of his sleeve across his mouth once done and smirked. "I'm a cupid called Stiles. I'm here because you are going to literally ruin my life."

Derek raised one eyebrow, but stayed in his predatory position. "Cupid is just a myth. Now, who are you really?"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Fine. Don't believe me. But my name really is Stiles and you're screwing up my life."

Claws shortening and fangs receding back into his gums, Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "How so?"

"Because if I can't get you a mate, I'm gonna lose my job!"

"What."

"You heard me!" The younger man moved into the werewolf's personal space, an accusatory finger inches from Derek's nose, the strong scent of champagne filling his nostrils. "This is all your fault! If you could actually communicate and not constantly have your head up your ass I wouldn't be here!"

A growl slipped past Derek's lips as he glared back at the boy. "You have the guts to talk to a werewolf like that in his own home? An Alpha werewolf?"

"Damn right I do!" Derek let another growl slip out as he dropped his arms to his sides and stood a little straighter, getting himself an inch away from Stiles' face. The boy narrowed his eyes, not backing down. "Don't flash your angry red eyes at me. That does nothing."

"Get out."

The boy's heart-shaped lips lifted into a smirk, that spark of amusement flaring in his eyes. "Nope." Derek snarled and shoved past him, making his way toward his bedroom. "I know about Paige." He came to a halt, his blood freezing in his veins as his eyes widened. A loud gulp sounded, quickly followed by a loud sigh. "I know she's the reason you gave up on dating. But you keep torturing yourself because of your pack. That and you're the last Hale. Kinda need some kids to keep that name going."

Derek pulled his lips over his fangs as they dropped down and spun around, practically flying across the room and slamming both fists into the opposite wall, caging Stiles in. He roared in the boy's face, a flicker of smugness igniting in him when the boy flinched and cowered against the wall.

"How dare you!" His voice dripped with anger, words slightly muffled through his fangs. "You come into my home and act as though you own the place. I don't care who you are or what you want. Just get out or I'll throw you out!"

Wide amber eyes stared up at him as he breathed heavily through his mouth, trying to keep his wolf at bay. He could feel it pacing and howling in the back of his mind, and if he wasn't careful, it would slip out and do who knows what.

He paused when he noticed tears filling the boy's eyes, bottom lip trembling. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean any trouble. It's just... my dad... I had to..." Before Derek could blink, panic surged up his nostrils and he reared his head back at the sudden change of smell. He faintly heard the champagne bottle crack as it hit the floorboards, the sound of quickened breathing and a rapid heartbeat overpowering anything else.

Stiles was gripping his head as tears rolled down his cheeks, body shaking, chest heaving. Derek heard his wolf let out a loud whine and he quickly turned human again, mind going a mile a minute. Inhaling once to calm himself, he gently grabbed the boy's biceps and bent over slightly.

"Stiles!" The boy's heartbeat skyrocketed, causing Derek to clench his jaw in frustration. "Stiles, calm down! Breathe with me! In and out. In and out." He pulled one of the boy's hands over onto his chest, right above the heart, and continued his mantra until the boy had calmed down. 

"Thanks..." The boy muttered, his gaze lowered. 

"What was that about?" Derek tried to make his tone gentle, but it came out harsher than he intended and his wolf growled. 

Stiles slid down to the floor, wrapping his arms around his legs. "It's so stupid. We were so stupid. I didn't know what was gonna happen... Or that it would..."

Derek put a firm hand on the boy's knee as he crouched down in front of him. "Slow down before you throw yourself into another panic attack. Start from the beginning."

A sigh escaped the boy's lips and glanced up at Derek through his lashes. "I recently got into supernatural stuff. Like werewolves, witches, demons, all that jazz. One night, I convinced my friend to do a ritual with me. The website I'd found it on had said it was fake, a fun game or something. I'd even checked other websites and none of them said it was real!" The werewolf squeezed his fingers slightly on the boy's knee when Stiles breath hitched. "Well... we did it. Nothing happened, we laughed it off and just hung out like we normally would.

"But the next day, a deputy showed up at my place and said my dad, the sheriff, was gone. His cruiser was still at the station, his desk still in use as if he'd just walked away. So I went to call my friend for help, but when I got to my room, some woman was there. She told me I had do this for her or she would kill my dad.

"I didn't want to do it, I really didn't. I did all the research I could on her and the only thing that pulled up was... was that she's a demon. She said she'd let him go if I found you a mate." Stiles eyes met Derek's, fear and panic dancing just beneath their surface. "Look, dude, I didn't even know who you were, but she has my dad and she won't let him go until this is done!"

"So you made a deal with a demon," Derek summarized, his voice void of any emotion. "A demon that you summoned."

Stiles' heart skipped a beat, then started pounding in his chest, panic permeating off of him. "All my resources said it was a fake!"

The werewolf took a breath and leveled his gaze with Stiles'. "If you made a deal with a demon, why did you call yourself a cupid?"

Pink colored the young man's cheek as he turned away. "I didn't have much time before she sent me here... It was the best I could come up with."

"And the champagne?"

"Mostly for looks." Derek raised an eyebrow when Stiles glanced at him. "Okay, not really for looks... I've been freaking out this entire time and I found some in your pantry - seriously, dude, your pantry? What if you had kids?" Stiles swallowed nervously at the look Derek gave him. "I didn't get a chance to take my Adderall and it helped calm me down, okay?"

"How do you know all that about me?"

"The demon told me. I swear I wasn't stalking you! I mean, not that I would, 'cause I'm not a stalker! My best friend, Scott, on the other hand-"

"Stop talking," Derek snapped as he stood, glaring at the wall. His wolf was pacing again, restless. One thing didn't seem add up, though. He glanced down at the mole-dotted boy. "How did you move across the room so fast earlier?"

"Uh, it's a secret?" Stiles gave him a hopeful grin that quickly vanished when a low, rumbling growl vibrated in Derek's chest. "Okay, fine. The real reason I got into the supernatural is because I have a spark. Not like fire or anything. But like a spark of-"

"Magic," the werewolf finished for him. Stiles eyes widened in surprise and he stumbled to his feet.

"Yeah, how'd you know?!" Derek gave him an incredulous look. "Right, werewolf. Guess I drank a bit too much of the champagne..."

Rolling his eyes, he stepped away from the boy and started to pace the room, his wolf itching underneath his skin. "Did the demon give you a time limit?"

"Not that I remember. Why? You familiar with them?"

"Not really. I've only heard stories. But I wouldn't be surprised if it did."

"Oh. Well, how are we supposed to stop her then? Unless you have a mate in mind?"

"It doesn't work like that for us, for werewolves. We all have mates, a person that we're destined to be with for the rest of our lives."

"Like a soulmate."

Derek stared at him for a moment, sorting through his thoughts. "Similar, yes. We don't get to pick our mates. They're chosen for us. But not all werewolves have mates."

"And you thought you didn't have one, even after Paige..." 

Stiles jumped back slightly when the wolf gave him a sharp look. "How do you know that?"

"Based off all of the information the demon gave me, I just kinda figured it out," he mumbled, voice shaking slightly.

Derek stalked over to Stiles, heartbeat racing. "What all did it tell you about her?"

Stiles seemed reluctant, his eyes shifting as he fumbled with the hem of his shirt. Derek let a growl slip and the dam opened, "She said that you two had been dating for a while and you were convinced she was your mate. But on prom night, you two got into a car accident and she was on the brink of death. You rushed her to your mom, who was the alpha at the time, and begged her to turn Paige, but she didn't. She told you that Paige was too weak and the best thing you could do was put her out of her misery. But your dad did it for you and-"

"Enough!" The room seemed to shake at Derek's roar, his voice breaking slightly from emotion. He turned away from the human as he tried to pull himself back together.

Stiles voice was quiet when he spoke again. "Paige told you to move on. But you promised her you wouldn't, even if you found your mate. Why?"

Derek closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. His chest felt like it was being squeezed, like he couldn't breathe. "Because she was my first love."

"But isn't your mate supposed to be everything to you? Even trump any love you have for someone else?"

Derek sighed. "Yes. That's how I felt about her."

"Which is why you suck at dating," Stiles concluded. "You don't want to because you think you met your mate and she's gone." Derek remained silent, refusing to look back at the boy. "You're not going to help me, are you?"

The smell of salt wafted up his nose and he glanced back at the boy. Amber eyes shone bright through tears, long fingers gripping the hem of his shirt as Stiles gave him a longing stare, his lower lip stuck between his teeth to keep from trembling. His wolf whined in the back of his head as sadness and despair hit him.

Either this kid was a damn good actor or that champagne seriously messed with his emotions.

"Where did you last see the demon?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!
> 
> Thank you so much for the feedback! This one hasn't gotten as much response as I thought it would, but that's okay! I'll finish it up for those who are enjoying it!
> 
> Not beta read, so all mistakes are mine and I apologize for them. If I missed a tag, please let me know!
> 
> Enjoy!

The room reeked of sweat, panic, and fear with a hint of sage and cinnamon. Derek could pick out a few other scents, but they were too faint and he didn't want to waste time on trying to decipher them. Except for the one he couldn't ignore - sulfur.

"You weren't lying," he stated, taking in the dirty clothes scattered across the floor, the unmade bed and the messy desk.

Stiles flailed from across his room, smacking his hand against the desk and cursing. "Why would I lie?" Derek raised an eyebrow and decided to ignore the young man, focusing instead on the scents around him.

"It was standing here." Derek was talking more to himself, but he felt the human's eyes on him as he moved closer to the desk. "It wasn't here for long, though. The scent of sulfur isn't strong."

"It did only happen earlier today, so it-"

"Doesn't matter," Derek interrupted, glancing around the room again. "Werewolves have heightened senses. Depending on the smell and how strong it is, we can make pretty good estimates of timeframes."

"Dude, that's so cool!"

The werewolf turned his head toward the bedroom door when he got a whiff of bitter distress. He followed it out of the room, down the hall and to an open doorway, ignoring Stiles rambling behind him. He pushed the door open further and the scent of distress got stronger, stinging his nose.

"This is my dad's room. Why...?"

"He put up a fight," he affirmed as he scanned the barren room.

The boy pushed past him, stopping and shifting nervously a few feet away. But when he spoke, his voice was firm and confident, "Of course he would. He's a cop."

Derek nodded, using his senses to try to find anything else that would be out of place. The bed was in a disarray, miscellaneous items on the nightstand knocked over, the closet door set at an awkward angle. 

"It happened early in the morning." Derek slowly paced the room, taking in every little detail. "He stumbled around a bit, probably didn't have the light on."

"He had to work a double shift yesterday," Stiles replied. "He usually gets home around one or two in the morning after one of those, sometimes even later."

Derek made a small noise of acknowledgement in the back of his throat when a shiny glimmer caught his eye. He crouched down by the bed to find the source, reaching his hand out across the carpet. His fingers tapped against cold metal and he lifted it up to get a better look.

"That's my dad's badge," Stiles whispered, the fresh smell of salt dancing through the air. The werewolf glanced over at him then stood and placed the badge in the young boy's hand.

"We'll find him." He relaxed his tense muscles slightly in favor of attempting to give the human a soft, genuine look when those amber eyes met his. "Can't have you losing your job now, can we?"

Stiles lips quirked up into a grin. "No, we can't."

Derek took a step back and gave the room one more glance over. "There's not much else here. But I know someone who may be able to help. You got a car?"

Stiles snorted and wandered back to his room, grabbing a set of car keys off his desk. "Do I have a car? Psh!" Derek followed him out of the house and over to a blue, dying monstrosity parked in the driveway.

He stopped in front of it and raised both eyebrows. "This is your car?"

"Don't! Roscoe can hear you!" Stiles glared at him, hand on the driver's door handle, the other one holding his keys and pointing a finger at him.

Derek rolled his eyes and climbed into the passenger seat. He barely paid any attention to the human as his thoughts drifted to the demon, a demon who knew too much about him. He had been honest when he'd told Stiles he didn't know much about demons and he didn't particularly care to know more. But this one... This one he wanted to know as much as possible.

"Hello?" A hand waved in front of his face and he blinked, jerking his head back and grabbing the wrist tightly. "Ow, ow, ow! Fragile human here!" Derek immediately let go and watched the boy rub the appendage, holding it close to his chest. "Did you really have to do that? That freaking hurt, dude!"

"Start the car," Derek said, turning his attention out the passenger window. The boy grumbled, but it was barely heard over the roar of the engine as it came to life. He stayed silent during the drive, only speaking to give Stiles directions.

After a short while, they pulled up to a small building, the parking lot vacant in the early morning light. Derek stepped out of the car and made his way to the front door, barely acknowledging Stiles stumbling and flailing after him. He gripped the door handle and pushed on the door.

Locked.

"Uh, why are we at the vet's office?" Stiles inquired from beside him. Derek ignored him in favor of slamming his shoulder against the door, shoving it open and leaving part of the door frame slightly cracked. "Dude!"

"Derek," a calm, steady voice met his ears as he stepped into the small waiting room. He looked over in the direction the voice had come to see a bald man standing behind the counter, giving him a blank stare. "It's a bit early, don't you think?"

"We need your help." The man's eyebrows raised when Stiles stepped in behind Derek.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"What do you know about demons?"

The man pursed his lips together. "They're very dark creatures, Derek. I'm not sure you want to know."

Derek opened his mouth to respond, but Stiles beat him to it. "Hey, dude, I'm trying to find my dad and Derek said you might know something. Can you just help us out?" The man gave Stiles a displeased look and the boy fidgeted. "I'm Stiles, by the way."

Derek growled when the man didn't say a word, just looked at them with that unreadable expression. "Deaton. I'm asking nicely."

Deaton let out a heavy breath and moved toward the back room, motioning for them to follow. "There's a wide variety of demons out there. They all have their own powers, tricks, disguises... They're surrounded by black magic, summoned from it. People believe they come from Hell, which some do. But others come from your worst nightmare, the desires of your heart. Because of this, it's nearly impossible to track one down."

"Great, so, you're saying my dad's gone forever," Stiles said as they crowded around a small surgery table. "That's fantastic. Just what I needed in my life."

"Stiles," Derek snapped, arms folded over his chest. "Shut up." The werewolf turned back to the veterinarian, easing his glare ever so slightly. "This idiot summoned one for fun and it kidnapped his dad. Then it sent him my way and told him he had to help me find a mate or it'd kill his father. What kind of demon would that?"

Deaton looked down, his brow pulled down into a thoughtful expression. "Hm. It definitely seems like a trickster to me. It could easily be one from a nightmare or his past."

"No. I would've recognized her."

Deaton snapped his eyes up to the young man in surprise. "You saw it?"

Stiles nodded. "She told me everything I needed to know to do her bidding, I guess. Stood in my room and everything. Looked super real."

"Can you describe what it looked like?"

The human twiddled his fingers as he gazed up at the ceiling, his face set in a concentrated expression. "She was skinny with long blonde hair. Wore a lot of black. She had this weird, creepy grin on her face and her eyes were pitch black, not even a speck of light reflected from them. Had some gunholsters on, but they were empty."

Derek's blood ran ice cold, his eyes locked on Stiles as his heart slammed against his chest.

No. It couldn't be.

"She wasn't see-through or had any dark mist surrounding her?" Stiles shook his head as he looked back at the man across from him. "Then it wasn't just a nightmare. She had been a living person at some point. Probably came straight from Hell." Deaton glanced at him. "Derek, would you like to share something with us?"

Stiles turned sharply to him. "You know something?"

Derek glared icily at the older man. "No. It just sounded familiar."

"Oh." The human reverted his attention back to deaton. "So, what can you deduce from this?"

Deaton shifted slightly, looking between the two. "Like I said, it's a spirit that was cast down to Hell. If you summoned her, she must be tethered to you somehow."

"Is there a way to get rid of her?"

"There are many ways to get rid of demons. However, seeing how she may not be a demon, but rather a spirit... Well, that may be a little harder. I'll look into it and let you know what I find."

"Thanks, doc." 

Deaton nodded and showed them the way out, grabbing Derek's attention at the very last second when Stiles was already out by his jeep. "Derek. Be careful with that boy."

Derek's jaw clenched and he stepped outside without another word. Stiles revved the engine once the werewolf was inside, staring out the windshield. "So what now?"

"Now we wait."

"We-Are you kidding me?" Stiles swivelled in his seat, eyes wide. Derek raised an eyebrow at the frantic movement. "You have no clue how to help me find my dad, so your best idea is to go to some creepy animal doctor, ask him if he knows anything and then wait when he basically gives us nothing to start with?! Are you serious?"

Derek's voice was surprisingly calm when he responded, "I told you, I've only heard stories. Deaton isn't just a veterinarian. He knows about the supernatural, more than he lets on. He can get us information." Stiles shook his head, then slammed on the accelerator, speeding toward town. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere I can do my own research."

"You don't trust me."

"I just met you! Of course I don't trust you!"

"And yet you know so much about me where I know next to nothing about you."

"Touché." Derek rolled his eyes and stared out the passenger window. "What do you want to know about me?"

"Nothing."

"It's only fair, dude."

Derek looked back at the boy, but he was focusing on driving, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on his leg as it jittered slightly. "When did you find out about your magic?"

"Why that question first?" Stiles huffed, reducing his speed the further into town he got. "It happened when I was having a panic attack a few years ago. I ended up hurting myself on accident and it snapped me out of it really quick." He side-glanced over at Derek. "Don't ask." 

Derek's lips twitched upward in amusement. "Did you find someone to help train you?"

"Nope. I taught myself. I'm nothing spectacular though. Just know a few things here and there."

"Like teleporting."

Stiles gave him a cheeky grin. "Yeah, that was pretty great. Haven't done that since high school."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-two." Stiles pulled his jeep into a parking spot and turned the engine off. Derek noticed he hadn't asked him the same question as they walked into the library.

"Did the spirit tell you how old I am?"

Stiles made a bee-line for the computers, tossing over his shoulder, "Nope."

"You don't want to know?" Derek questioned as he stood beside Stiles, watching him settle into the seat and start the computer up."

"Sure I do. But you're asking questions about me, remember?" Derek blinked, but didn't respond. He watched the boy start typing furiously on the keyboard, then attack the mouse as his eyes moved quickly across the screen. He sat there for a few minutes, just enough time for Derek to glance around the empty library. "Found something!"

Derek bent over, resting one hand on the desk beside the keyboard and the other on the back of the chair. He felt Stiles' eyes on him, but he focused on the screen, trying to find whatever the boy had found. "What is it?"

"Oh, right, um. Right here." He moved the mouse and highlighted a small paragraph. "It says how you can summon a spirit to where you are and how to get rid of it. I think it might work."

"Confrontation? Won't that just upset it?"

"It might. I can keep looking if you want, but we're just wasting time that we could be using to find my dad."

Derek hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. Let's try it."

"Okay, sweet! Now we just need to find a good place to summon her."

A heavy feeling settled into Derek's gut, his wolf restless in the back of his mind. Something inside of him screamed that this was a horrible idea, but another part of him wanted Stiles to stop smelling of anxiety.

He was so screwed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta read, but I did take some extra time to proofread this chapter. Doesn't mean I may have still missed something though, so I apologize if I did.
> 
> I hope you like this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

Derek followed Stiles out into the clearing, the mid-morning sunlight trickling in through the leaves above. A large tree stump was off to their left, taking up most of the empty space. It felt ominous; he could swear it was almost pulsing. Derek waved it off, though, taking in all the other trees and vegetation. The silence. The familiarity of the area.

"Right here," Stiles proclaimed as he set his bag down beside him.

"Why the forest?" Derek asked, staying a few feet away. He watched the boy start pulling out miscellaneous items from the bag and set them down on the grass.

"Nothing ever really happens in forests that cause cops, aka, my dad, to come lurking. Unless it's a horror movie. Then all kinds of crap happens. But we're not in a horror movie so it's fine. That and who goes into the forest in the middle of the day?"

"Hunters."

Stiles paused and turned on the balls of his feet in his crouched position. "Are you talking about animal hunters or...?"

"Both."

A quiet moment ticked by, the human's bottom lip stuck between his teeth. "We'll make this quick." The boy spun back around and moved some of the items into certain spots. "Come help me light some candles."

The heavy feeling in Derek's gut hadn't gone away, causing him to hesitate before walking and crouching down beside Stiles. He let the boy guide him in setting up the candles in a specific way and lighting them with a match he produced from his bag. After that was done, Stiles set a small book in the middle of the candles, open on a page that had some odd symbols and images Derek had never seen before, and proceeded to sit Indian-style.

Derek stared at the human, noting all the moles scattered across his skin, his pink cupid bow lips, long eyelashes that caressed his cheeks as he closed his eyes. He watched Stiles pull himself into a straighter position, lean muscles pressing up against his shirt.

"Hey, dude, you might want to stand back," Stiles stated, glancing over at him out of the corner of his eye. "I don't know where this thing is gonna pop up."

"What?" Derek blinked as the tips of his ears suddenly felt hot. "Oh, right." He shot to his feet and took a few steps back, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Stiles closed his eyes once more and relaxed. A hush fell over them, not a bird's song to be heard, the chatter of insects silenced. That strange, pulsing sensation Derek felt resonating from the tree stump seemed to grow stronger, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Derek glanced over at it before moving his gaze back to Stiles when the boy abruptly hunched over the small book.

In the next instant, the human started speaking some strange language. It didn't sound familiar at all, but his wolf started pacing and scratching at the walls in his mind. Leaves shook and shivered in a sudden wind that tumbled through, light gray clouds hovering high above them. 

A loud hum sounded and Derek winced, his wolf whines nearly covering the sound of the wind. 

Something wasn't right at all.

Then, the hush fell over them once more, nearly as quickly as all the ruckus had come.

Derek turned to Stiles to see the boy staring in front him, unmoving. Before him stood a middle-aged woman dressed in a yellow blouse and jeans, her long brown hair seemed to not have been brushed in some time, her feet barren in the grass. Her face was soft, her lips pulled up in a small smile, brown eyes glimmering in the pale light.

"Stiles," she whispered, her gaze unwavering on the young boy.

Stiles voice was just a whisper as well, but Derek could hear the thick emotion in it and he looked back down at him. "Mom?"

Derek stiffened.

The woman crouched down and rested her hand on Stiles' cheek, wiping away a stray tear with her thumb. "My sweet boy...What are you doing?"

"I was...I-I-"

"He was helping me," Derek barked out, catching Stiles' attention. The boy quickly wiped at his eyes with his wrists before he turned back to the woman. She hadn't moved an inch, her gaze still settled on Stiles.

"Mom, you're not supposed to be here." Derek took a step back and looked around, attempting to give the two some space. Stiles had sounded so wrecked but firm, the sound tugging at Derek's memories. He shook it off and noticed two dark, shadowy figures standing behind Stiles' mother on either side of her.

"What are you talking about, Mieczyslaw?" Out of the corner of his eye, Derek saw Stiles' face pale, eyes widening. "You summoned me."

"But...You're dead."

Instincts screaming at him to protect the boy, Derek withdrew his hands from his pockets and splayed his fingers, claws shooting out. "Stiles." The shadow figures suddenly glided forward, inching their way toward the human. "That's not your mom."

The woman's eyes slid over to Derek, her smile fading into a grimace. "Let me be with my son."

The shadow figures abruptly changed course, heading right for Derek. He hunched over, fangs dropping down as he let out a ferocious growl. The instant one of them came within reach, he slashed out at it with his claws. Unsurprisingly, his hand went right through, the figure unfazed.

Letting out a growl of frustration, Derek started backing away from the figures. His wolf was snarling in his mind, wanting to fight off the threat, but this was beyond his expertise. His eyes darted over to Stiles who was still hunched over before the woman, his own eyes glued to her face.

"Stiles!" He shouted right before one of the figures hands wrapped around his neck, slamming him into the nearest tree and cutting off his airways. He clawed at the arm, but his fingers only slipped through it. The boy startled and looked over at him, then scrambled to his feet.

"Derek, I-"

"Mieczyslaw." The woman's voice was harsh now, her expression dark. "Why are you ignoring me? You haven't seen me in fourteen years and you just met him. Forget about him! I'm back! And I came back for you!"

Letting out a choked gurgle, Derek dug his claws into the bark on either side of his head, then lifted his legs and kicked out, hoping to knock the figure back. But his legs just went through it and he slammed back against the tree, grunting in pain and frustration.

"I'm sorry, Mom." Derek glanced over at Stiles to see him reaching for the book. But the second figure shot over and seemingly hit him without touching him, causing the human to fly a few feet away and land hard on the ground. 

Derek's wolf snarled, startling him, but his eyes stayed glued to Stiles. "Hang on, Derek!" The boy leapt to his feet and raced toward the open book. The shadow figure hovering close to his mother shot toward him, but suddenly vanished with a thunderous crack when Stiles held his hand out. He then fell to his knees in front of the book and gripped it tightly, glancing back up at his mother.

Her face was frozen in a look of horror as she stared down at her son. Then she screamed. "You summoned me! Don't you dare send me back!! Don't you do it!!" She paused when Stiles' jaw clenched, his features hardening as he slowly got to his feet. Derek's vision started to blur, black spots swimming around his peripheral. "I came back for you! Isn't that what you wanted?!"

"My mom's gone," came the firm response. Derek could barely see now, his chest aching from lack of oxygen. A sudden snap echoed through the trees and the pressure on his neck vanished, Derek falling to his hands and knees and gasping for breath. "Derek!" Stiles was kneeling beside him before he could blink, wide amber eyes seeming to see right into his soul. He felt vulnerable, refusing to meet the boy's gaze. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he grumbled out, claws slowly turning back to normal fingernails, fangs following suit. He looked over Stiles' shoulder to see the clearing empty save for them and the still lit candles. "What happened? Where'd they go?"

"I don't know. Back to where they came from? I just closed the book and they were gone. Are you sure you're okay? I thought you were gonna die."

"If you had waited a second longer, I might've been."

Irritation wafted over to him and he glanced over at Stiles' scowl. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

Derek rolled his eyes. "You did it, they're gone and I'm not dead. Congratulations. Also, that did nothing to help us find your father."

Stiles groaned and fell back on his ass. "I know."

"Was it the same spell you used to summon the other woman?"

"I'm pretty sure."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "You're pretty sure."

Stiles flailed his arms, nearly throwing the book out of his hand in the process. "Dude, have you seen half the spells in this book?! They all look the same!"

Derek finally stood, rubbing both hands over his face. "Why didn't you make sure you had the right spell before we decided to go with this plan?"

"I thought it was the right spell!" Derek glared at the human as he got to his feet. He seemed to shrink into himself slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, I'm eighty percent sure it was the right spell."

"Right," Derek huffed. "Why don't we clean up and you look for the right spell. If you can't find it by sundown, we're going back to Deaton to see what he found."

"But-"

"Stiles."

Derek ignored the twinge in his heart at the pout Stiles gave, keeping his glare steady. Stiles sighed and stomped over to the candles, blowing each of them out. Derek watched him for a moment before he realized the heavy gut feeling he'd had since they came up with the plan was gone. But, for some reason, he still felt on edge, his instincts stuck between telling him to run and to protect the human. 

He looked over to the large tree stump and narrowed his eyes, feeling the light pulsing coming from it. Glancing at Stiles to see the boy sitting in the grass with the book open on his lap, one hand stuck in his hair, the werewolf wandered over to the stump. The urge to run grew stronger as he approached, but he still took in every little crack and root that he could see. It looked to be like a regular, ordinary tree stump.

Suddenly, before the thought even reached his mind, Derek's hand moved and rested on the stump. 

He instantly felt cold, down to the very bones. Indistinguishable whispers sounded all around him, a sense of dread seeping into his skin. His heart raced and slammed against his ribs, every muscle in his body tensing.

He jerked away from the stump as if it had burned him, the coldness slipping away as quickly as it had come. He had to take a few deep breaths to calm his heart, even take a few steps back.

"Derek," Stiles called out. "You okay, dude?"

Derek didn't hesitate with his response. "We need to go."

That had Stiles jumping to his feet. "What? Why?"

Derek turned and stalked over to the boy. "It's not safe here." He bent over and started to pick up the cooled candles.

"What are you talking about? It's completely safe. No where near civilization and animals tend to steer clear of it. I've come here plenty of times to work on my magic. Makes it stronger actually."

Derek stilled and looked over at the boy. "You practice magic here?"

Stiles shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

"It's dangerous." He dropped the candles into the bag along with the box of matches. "We're leaving."

"What, no! It's fine! Let me find the spell, summon her and then we can-"

Derek stood to his full height and stepped right up to Stiles, barely an inch or so taller than him, their noses nearly touching. "We're. Leaving. Now."

Stiles swallowed. "Okay. Fine. But where else can I summon a spirit or, quite possibly, a demon?"

Derek knew he was going to regret it as soon as the words left his mouth. "I have a loft."

"You do? Where?"

Derek slung the bag over his shoulder. "Closer to the city. Now, come on."

Stiles sighed, but walked beside him as they made their way back to the jeep, holding the book close to his chest. 

Derek stayed silent the entire time, even going as far as letting Stiles sing to his horrible music as he guided him to his loft. After about twenty minutes, Stiles parked the jeep in front of a large building. Derek glanced up at it while Stiles shut the engine off. Since it was still daylight, he couldn't quite tell if there were any lights on inside.

Stiles abruptly shoved his door open and clambered out. "Let's go! You wanted us to come here!"

Derek rolled his eyes and got out of the vehicle. He waited by the stairs for Stiles to grab the bag and rush over to him. It only took a minute to reach the top, Stiles huffing and puffing behind him. He hid his smirk and pulled the door open, mentally groaning when yelling and snarling reached his ears.

"Oh, hey, Derek's here! He can solve this for us! Hey Derek!!" He felt the human brushing up behind him, presumably attempting to look over his shoulder. With a sigh, he walked into the loft, Stiles shuffling in after him. He slid the door closed and turned to see a young blonde woman nearly ramming into him.

"Erica," he said sternly, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm not siding with you or Isaac on whatever petty argument you're having. You two are on your own."

Erica's bottom lip slipped out with a small whine before she swiftly turned and marched into Stiles' personal space. "Who's this cutie?"

His wolf rumbled angrily in his mind. "Stiles, meet one of my betas, Erica. Erica, Stiles."

"Uh, hi," Stiles mumbled as he set the bag down beside his foot and reached his hand out. Erica merely grabbed his cheek and shook it, making it cooing sounds. "Ow, ow!"

"Why'd you bring a human here?" Derek glanced over into the open kitchen where Boyd, his second in command, stood, sipping at his cup of orange juice.

"I'm helping him with something."

"What kind of something?" A curly haired boy, Isaac, inquired from his lazy position on the couch. Derek walked over to it and shoved Isaac's feet off the top of the furniture, ignoring his surprised yelp.

"A personal issue. You can either go up to your rooms and stay there for a few hours or you can leave. He'll need all the space he can get."

"Ooh, Derek, I didn't realize you had a thing for guys like him," Erica exclaimed.

"Please don't touch the table," Boyd said. "I just cleaned it."

Derek growled. "Now you don't get a choice. Out. All of you."

Isaac jerked upright on the couch. "But I didn't-"

"Out!"

He glared at each one of his betas, ignoring the heat rushing up his face and ears. They all bowed their heads and hurried out of the loft, the door sliding closed behind them. Stiles stood in the middle of the room and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Dude, your eyes are red."

Derek huffed. "Get to reading. You only have a few hours left."

"Fine." Stiles walked over to the couch and plopped down on it, opening the book to a random page. "Sourwolf."

Derek rolled his eyes, grabbed a random book of the bookshelf from beside the bed, and sat down on the loveseat. He had a feeling Stiles would take the whole time he'd given him so he decided to just sit back and relax for now, knowing there wasn't much for him to do. 

It was all up to Stiles at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's be friends! 
> 
>  
> 
> [](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/novkat21)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, y'all remember when I mentioned that characters like to have things go their way rather than your way?  
> Yeah....  
> I did thing. Well, they did a thing. Actually, we did a thing.
> 
> Just a reminder that I don't have a beta reader so beware of grammar mistakes!  
> Thank ya!

It was dusk when Derek set his book down, sighing. He'd finished it, but he couldn't say what he'd just read. His thoughts had been running rampant, trying to come up with a solution to the situation he was currently in. Not only that, but he'd endured hours of listening to Stiles shuffling around on the couch, which turned into pacing, then flopping back down on the couch and bouncing his leg on the cushions.

One could only take so much. 

"Stiles," he snapped. Stiles looked up from his curled up position on the couch, book resting on his legs, hands tapping on the couch to some rhythm. "Would you stop twitching and tell me you found something?"

Stiles face fell as he turned back to the book. "I haven't found anything. The only thing I've found was what I used to summon my..."

Derek felt a pang of sympathy and his wolf suddenly whined, urging him to go comfort the boy. He shook it off and stood. "Take a break. I'll cook us some dinner."

"I didn't know you could cook!" Stiles practically threw himself off the couch, slamming the book on the coffee table.

Derek let a hint of teasing enter his voice as he pulled a pan out of the cabinet. "The demon didn't tell you?"

Stiles huffed from behind him. "So, since I couldn't find the spell, are we going back to Deaton?"

Before Derek could respond, the loft door slid open and his three betas raced in, panic-stricken. He hurried out of the kitchen and stood before them, Stiles spinning around from his place by the counter.

"What happened?" Derek demanded, looking at each of them in turn.

"It's Deaton," Erica panted, eyes wide. "We were walking by the vet's office and-"

"He's dead!" Isaac exclaimed.

Ice raced through Derek's blood. "What?"

"We smelled blood and followed it to his office," Boyd explained, seeming a little shook himself. "The doors were locked and so we forced our way inside. We found him by the exam table."

"He's-but-" Stiles interjected. Derek turned to him when he heard the boy's heartbeat ratchet up, his breathing become more shallow. "We need him. He can't-"

Derek rushed forward and helped lower him to the floor before he hurt himself, keeping a firm hand on his arm. "Stiles, breathe."

"What's wrong with him?" Isaac asked in a small voice.

"Panic attack," Boyd responded.

Derek put both arms around the boy and held one of his hands to his chest. "Stiles. Breathe with me. In, one, two, three. Out, one, two, three." He did this a few more times before Stiles finally seemed to hear him and slowed down his breathing.

"If Deaton's dead, Derek," Stiles mumbled once he'd calmed down enough to speak. "How am I supposed to find the spell? It could take days or weeks! My dad could be dead by then!"

Derek's grip tightened slightly on the boy before he turned to Boyd. "Do you know how he died?"

Boyd thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Looked like he'd coughed up a lot of blood, but there didn't seem to be any outside injuries."

"You think someone killed him?" Stiles asked, looking up at Derek with wide eyes.

"Too coincidental," Derek told him. "Any scent?"

Boyd glanced at Stiles. "Sulfur."

Derek pressed his lips together in a thin line. "That's probably the demon." He felt Stiles grip his hand tightly. "She knows we're on to her."

"This is all my fault." 

Derek wanted to tell him it wasn't, to comfort him and take away all the worry. But he couldn't. In all actuality, it was his fault. That and the demon who decided to escape hell. Instead, he held the boy close to him.

"Don't worry, Stiles, we'll figure this out." Derek turned back to his betas. "Boyd, Isaac, take care of Deaton. Erica, go pick up some pizza for all of us. It's going to be a long night."

"Why?" Erica inquired, still looking a bit shaken.

Derek sighed. "Stiles got himself into a bit of trouble with a possible demon. Deaton was helping us gather information. We need to do something and fast. His dad's life is on the line." Erica seemed more panicked by the second and his wolf was snapping at him to comfort her. "But we need something to give us energy and strength. You can wait until Isaac and Boyd get back so one of them can go with you. I don't want anyone leaving this loft alone."

Her shoulders drooped in relief, a soft sigh escaping her lips. The strong stench of anxiety and fear still filtered around the room as Isaac and Boyd left. Derek helped Stiles to his feet and led him over to the couch. 

"Take a minute to rest," he instructed, reluctantly letting go of the boys' hand. "Once Erica gets back with the pizza and we eat some, I'll help you find the spell."

Stiles seemed to relax a bit more, anxiety still rolling off of him. Derek patted his knee and went over to his beta, resting his hand on the back of her neck.

"Relax," he said softly. "Get some rest while you can. It's going to be a long night."

Erica nodded and sat down on the couch, curling in on herself. Derek sighed and rubbed his hands down his face.

A long night, indeed.

♡

Two hours later, Derek was pacing quietly in the loft, the moon high up in the sky. Erica and Stiles had fallen asleep on their separate couches a while back, leaving the alpha alone with his thoughts.

He'd ordered pizza and put it away in the fridge so they could all eat when Boyd and Isaac got back. Then he'd gone to his books to see if he could find anything about demons, only to shuffle through Stiles' spellbook. It was all gibberish to him and he'd started pacing in frustration afterward. The frustration had then blended into worry and anxiety for his two betas. Burying a body shouldn't have taken them that long, especially since Isaac worked at the local graveyard.

"Derek?" The alpha stopped by the couch and glanced down at Stiles. The boy was rubbing his eye as he slowly sat up, his hair in a disarray. "What're you doing?"

Derek opened his mouth to respond when the loft door slid open. He spun around to see Isaac and Boyd stumbling in, both covered in blood and deathly pale. He rushed and grabbed Isaac as the young beta pitched forward, eyes rolling back into his head. He jerked his head up to his other beta who was sliding down against the wall to the floor, barely conscious.

"What happened?" He carried Isaac over to the couch and put him down in Stiles spot as Stiles shot over to Boyd. "Erica!" The young girl bolted upright and took in the situation with wide eyes. "Go get the med kit from upstairs. Now!"

Derek turned back to Isaac when Erica ran up the stairs then looked over to Boyd and Stiles. "What. Happened."

Boyd turned to him with an unfocused gaze as Stiles pressed on one of his wounds. "It was just... a black shadow. It moved so fast. We had barely finished up with.... with Deaton when it came out of nowhere."

"How did it hurt you?"

"Claws. It had claws. Then it... Derek, it's coming here."

Derek ground his teeth together as Erica returned with the med kit. He lightly tapped Isaac's cheek until the beta woke then started to dress his wounds. He handed a few supplies to Stiles and Erica so they could tend to Boyd. 

"How long do we have?"

"I don't know," Boyd responded softly. "It moved fast. Was gone before we knew it."

Stiles cursed and grabbed his spell book, flipping through the pages rapidly. Derek watched him closely, opening his senses to everything around him. Stiles grabbed a pouch from his backpack, opened it and started walking around the walls and corners of the loft. He started mumbling to himself as he moved, Derek unable to decipher what he was saying.

"What are you doing?" Derek inquired, standing by the couch and watching a black sand-like substance fall from the pouch. Stiles proceeded to pace around the loft, pouring the substance as he went, ignoring the alpha. 

Derek took one sniff and instantly knew what it was - mountain ash. He snarled and slammed Stiles up against the wall, the spell book dropping from the human's hand.

"What are you doing in my loft?!"

"Dude, chill!" Stiles yelled, surprisingly still in Derek's grip. "Its just mountain ash. I'm using it as a barrier to protect your pack!"

"I can protect my pack just fine!"

"Oh yeah?!" With sudden strength, Stiles shoved Derek off and spun around, getting right in his face. "Then if you're so good at it, why do you need a med kit?"

Derek glared at him, knowing his eyes were flashing red. "Things happen that are out of my control. Just like with what happened tonight with Boyd and Isaac. I can only do so much."

"And yet so very little," a crackling, teasing voice sounded from behind them. Derek spun around into a crouch, baring his teeth and claws.

A shadow was barely visible in the middle of room and a strong smell of sulfur suddenly attacked Derek's nostrils. From behind, he felt Stiles grip his shirt, taking a sharp intake of breath.

"How did you get past the mountain ash barrier?" Stiles questioned, voice slightly shaking.

Derek growled. "Does it matter?! We need to get rid of it!" He felt Stiles let go of his shirt in the next instant as he kept his gaze on the shadow.

"Oh, sweetie, that little spell book won't do anything to me, " it taunted before it darted toward Derek. Derek snarled and leapt at it only to have it go right through him. A harsh cold entered his veins and he dropped heavily to the floor in surprise. He jumped to his feet and spun around to see it hovering behind Stiles, a clawed hand at his throat while it let out a wicked laugh. "Didn't your mother tell you about the giant tree in the woods? The one that had to be cut down because it was too powerful? The Nemeton? My, my alpha. Aren't we slacking?"

"Let him go," he growled through his fangs.

"And have him destroy me? I don't think so."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Stiles twitching his fingers on his right hand. He followed the direction where they were flicking to see the spell book a few feet away. The demon must have somehow flung it from his grasp.

A snarl sounded behind him, young, angry and afraid - Erica. He inched sideways toward the book subtly, making it seem as though he were giving his beta enough room to flank him.

"Well aren't you cute?" The demon called in a high pitch, sounding more and more female. "Enough wasting my time."

"We made a deal," Stiles said softly. Derek could hear his voice shaking, the scent of anxiety pouring off of him.

"I'm not like most demons, honey," it replied coolly. "Deals mean nothing to me."

Before Stiles could say another word, the claws were already slicing through his throat. An angry roar ripped out of Derek's chest as he barreled forward, his own claws swiping at the demon as Stiles slowly fell to the floor. The demon vanished before his eyes, his claws swiping through thin air. He spun on his heel and grabbed Stiles before his body hit the floor, holding him close to his chest. Blood was dripping down both sides of the human's neck, small choking sounds passing through his lips.

"I...I'm sorry..." he whispered, amber eyes looking up at Derek.

"Don't speak," Derek spoke barely above a whisper. "I'll find your dad, Stiles. Just... stay with me, okay?"

Stiles let out a shaky breath, blinking up at him, right before blood cut off his airways completely and poured out of his mouth.

Something inside Derek's chest snapped. He threw his head back and howled at Stiles' last heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me! I'm sorry!
> 
> Also, I'm taking prompts for drabbles and ficlets. Come say hi and give me one maybe?


	5. Chapter 5

A high pitched wail had all wolves pressing their hands against their ears, Derek hunching further over Stiles. It lasted nearly a minute before suddenly stopping. Derek looked up at his betas, meeting their fearful expressions.

"Boyd." Derek didn't have to say anymore - Boyd was on his feet and pushing the loft door open. A young redheaded woman stood outside, wide eyes staring straight at Stiles before the door was even fully open. 

"Stiles," she breathed before running over in a pair of heels. Derek felt his wolf come to attention, growling menacingly in the back of his mind as the woman fell to her knees on the other side of Stiles. "What happened?"

"A demon," Erica responded, watching her carefully. 

The woman glanced around, noticed the spell book and reached for it. Derek grabbed her wrist, letting out a low growl. She turned to him in fright, breath hitching.

"Who are you? How do you know Stiles?" He questioned.

Irritation flashed across her face. "I'm Lydia, his friend. Now would you let me go?" Derek's hackles raised, but he did so. She started to reach for the spell book again when Erica appeared in front of her, the book in her outstretched hand. "Thank you. Let's see what mess you got yourself into, Stiles."

"You're eerily calm," Boyd commented after shutting the door.

Derek noticed her hands shaking as she flipped through the book, fear wafting off of her.

"Someone has to be," she responded.

"So you know that Stiles is..."

"Has a spark? Yes. I also know that you're all werewolves, too." She paused and looked up from the book, meeting Derek's gaze with a wide eyes. "Wait. You're werewolves. You can give him the bite."

Derek stilled, flash images of a young girl in his arms appearing in his mind. He shook his head vehemently. "No, I can't do that to him. I won't."

"If you don't, then he's dead for good."

"There's nothing in that spellbook that can help?" Erica asked, panic rising in her voice.

"I'm sure there is, but I doubt I could find one in time to save him. But you can save him. You're an alpha, right?" She didn't wait for Derek's response. She just slammed the book closed, grabbed Stiles' wrist and shoved it into Derek's face. "Even if the bite doesn't take, he's gone. Now take the chance and bite him!"

Derek growled in warning. He knew Lydia was right. Biting Stiles would be the fastest way to save him. But he had no clue if the bite would take and that's what had him hesitating. 

He hadn't known Stiles for long, but he had grown to care for the boy. His loud, annoying voice, his random ramblings, his intelligence, and his passion of so many things. He knew from the second he'd met the boy that they had some sort of connection and, while he'd never admit it aloud, he'd been glad they'd met.

Which is why, against his own better judgement, he bit down on the wrist Lydia held out to him. Blood seeped into mouth, coating his teeth and tongue. He held on for a few seconds, hoping against all hope that the bite took, before he pulled away and looked down at the boy in his arms. He didn't know what he was expecting, but to see that Stiles was still lifeless hurt his heart more than he thought it would.

The air suddenly seemed to shift and everyone in the room tensed.

"You think a little bite will save him?"

An angry snarl ripped out of his throat at the all too familiar voice, sulfur wafting up his nose. He lifted his gaze to see a blonde woman standing in the middle of the room clad in a grey tank top, army green, skin tight pants and leather boots. A smug smirk was placed on her lips as her eyes flashed a sickly yellow. 

"You," Lydia whispered as she slowly got to her feet. "You're the demon." The woman barely gave her a glance, though the corner of her lips twitching gave her away. "What are you doing back here? You did what you came to do."

"Killing him was just for fun," the woman replied. "I just needed his power. The majority of mine came from the Nemeton, yes, but his made me far more stronger." She levelled her gaze on Derek as he held the boy close to his chest. "And even if the bite did take, you've lost your only spark. Nothing will be able to stop me."

Derek growled lowly, dangerously. "What do you want?"

"Having you meet Stiles was just convenience. I used him to get closer to you. Do you know why?" The woman took a step closer, but Erica leapt in her way, hunched over and growling with her claws out. The woman didn't bat an eye, keeping her gaze on the alpha. "I'm honestly hurt, Derek. You truly, honestly don't remember me? The innocent little hunter your uncle murdered?" She didn't wait for a response. "It doesn't matter if you do or not. I have all the power I need to kill you for his mistake."

With a sudden wave of her hand, Erica flew across the room and hit the opposite wall with a loud crack, falling like dead weight to the floor. She took a few more steps toward Derek and Stiles when Lydia inhaled deeply then screamed, shoving her hands toward the woman. Derek winced but watched in awe as the woman was thrown back by an unseen force, hitting the floor and sliding head first into a wall.

Lydia spun and grabbed the pouch of mountain ash from the floor. She turned back, hand in the pouch when the woman vanished and reappeared in front of her, eyes glowing yellow. Before Lydia could react, an invisible force shoved her to her knees. The pouch somehow slid out of the redhead's grip toward Stiles and Derek before the woman slammed her knee into the girl's face. Lydia crumpled to the floor a second later, out cold.

The blonde woman turned to Derek and stalked forward. "You're such a pathetic little alpha. You can't even protect your pack and they you. You should be begging for death, Derek."

Derek only growled, hunching over Stiles even more as his claws appeared.

A sudden loud gasp sounded and Derek looked down at the boy in his arms, the wound on his neck completely healed yet still covered in blood. Stiles gasped for breath, glanced at the woman then reached into the pouch. How he knew it was there, Derek didn't know. But he didn't particularly care when the boy threw a fistful of the ash at her. She reared back, only to slam into an invisible wall as the mountain ash fell into a circle around her.

Derek helped Stiles to his feet as the woman looked at them in shock.

"How?! You're a werewolf now," she screeched. "You shouldn't be able to use your spark at all! It's not possible!"

"Apparently it is," Stiles responded, letting Derek hold his bicep to keep him steady on his feet. "Now where's my dad?"

The woman stared at them a moment longer before smirking once more. "Don't know, don't care. I thrust him down to Hell to take my place. You'll have to take it up with the devil on that one."

Stiles growled loudly as his claws appeared and he slammed a fist against the invisible wall the mountain ash created. "Where is he?!"

The woman didn't flinch. She merely folded her arms over her chest and looked on in amusement. Stiles snarled before he snatched the spellbook from the floor, instantly flipping through it.

"You won't find anything in there that'll stop me. I'm too powerful."

"Kate," Derek rumbled. The woman's eyes snapped to him in surprise. "I remember you. You lured me in, pretended that you loved me, that you cared. Then you tried to kill me when we were alone. Right after you burned my family alive. I remember you quite well. You deserve to be in Hell, bitch."

Kate roared then, sickly yellow eyes flashing as she slammed her fist against the invisible wall.

Derek nor Stiles flinched as, not a moment later, Stiles started speaking in another language, glaring down at the spellbook in his hands. Kate's head swivelled back to the boy and she snarled then started whining, gripping her head in pain.

"Stop. Stop it!" Stiles continued on, not hesitating in the slightest. Her shouts and screeches grew louder and more agonized until she abruptly screamed as loud as ever. She rammed the invisible wall with her shoulder then slid to the floor. Her body seemed to blur and drip deep red liquid out of every pore as she slowly melted into the wood, glaring daggers up at the two. In the next second, she was gone and the air went still around them for the first time since she'd arrived, leaving behind a large dark stain in the floorboards.

Stiles panted heavily as he finally looked up. His whole body shook, perspiration shining on his forehead in the loft's light.

"Stiles." A whisper. Derek knew the boy heard, but he didn't move. A sob wrenched from him and he fell to his knees, the spellbook loudly hitting the floor. Derek swept in and knelt beside his new beta, wrapping his arms around him. He held him tightly, rocking their bodies in comfort, but staying silent.

"I just wanted my dad back," Stiles cried, blunt nails digging into Derek's arm. "That's all I wanted. But now..."

"I'm sorry, Stiles," Derek replied, his heart aching for the young man. "I'm so sorry."

♡

Derek glanced around his small pack as he leaned heavily against the wall. Erica and Boyd were cleaning any last bits of blood off the now conscious Isaac, soothing him with small words of comfort. Lydia and Stiles were perched on the couch, the redhead holding Stiles close as he stared blankly at the floor.

"It's not fair," Stiles mumbled. The room fell silent and Derek looked up from where he stood, hunched over the desk. Stiles shot to his feet abruptly, hands clenched tightly into fists. "I did this to my father. It should've been me that took her place in Hell. Then he'd be up here and alive and well. But that didn't happen. Then I couldn't find anything to bring him back and now I'm a werewolf and everything is so loud and annoying and I can't think straight and-"

"Stiles!" Lydia was on her feet in the next second, hands wrapped around his biceps as he started gasping for air. "You need to calm down! Just focus on my breathing!"

Derek unwillingly let out a low whimper, his wolf pacing in the back of his mind. He heard a sharp intake of breath before amber eyes were on him. He cleared his throat and moved his gaze back down to the desk below him.

"Did you just-" 

A sudden annoying beeping sounded and Derek looked back up to see Stiles flail, spinning in a circle before realizing it was his phone. He dug it out of his pocket and stared at it for a long moment. Swiping his thumb across the screen, he held the device up to his ear.

"Hello?" Derek heard his heart start racing as soon as he'd pulled the contraption out and he stood up straighter, his wolf having him on edge. Stiles gasped and smacked his hand over his mouth, eyes filling with salty tears. "Dad..." Derek, Lydia and the others looked at each other in shock. Derek moved around the table and took a few steps toward the couches as Lydia gripped Stiles' arms. "Y-yeah, I, uh... How? Oh God.... I'm so... Really? Okay, I'll be right over!" Stiles ended the call, glanced up at them and smiled, tears slipping down his cheeks. "He's alive! My dad's okay and alive! I have to go see him! I-"

"Let me drive you," Derek said as the boy rushed to the front door. Stiles looked back, shifted slightly then nodded.

"Hurry your ass up then, Sourwolf!" 

Derek scowled at the nickname but grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter and followed the young man out to his camaro. After getting confirmation that his father was back home, he drove that way, letting Stiles guide him. He knew that being a newly turned werewolf, all of his emotions were heightened and he probably didn't know what to do with them. Which is why Derek didn't say a word as Stiles squirmed anxiously in his seat, gripping the sides of it tightly, knowing it was a long drive for him.

As soon as he pulled up to the warm-looking house, Stiles was out of the car and running up the lawn. The front door swung open and a middle aged man stepped out, taking a step back to keep from falling over as his son jumped into his arms.

Derek's lips twitched into a smile as he watched the two nearly squeeze the life out of each other. After a moment, he leaned over and closed the passenger door and drove off back to the loft.

When he got back, Lydia was gone and his betas were all resting in a small puppy pile on the couch.

He glanced around, feeling as though something were off, though. Moving further into the spacious room, he noticed the spellbook in the same spot on the floor that Stiles had dropped it. He bent over and picked up, realizing in that moment that his loft was quiet. He'd usually welcome the silence, but after being around that boy, if only for a dew days, he couldn't help but feel sadness.

♡

It had been two weeks since Stiles had gone back home. Erica and Boyd had left two days after, going back to their own apartment deeper in the city. Isaac had practically gone back to his whiny, lazy self before they'd left. Except for the times when he needed comfort after a nightmare or bad memories came up and Derek let him curl up next to him. He purposely ignored him when he called it their own puppy pile.

It wad mid afternoon when Derek heard footsteps climbing the staircase to his loft. He didn't bother looking up from his book, assuming it was Isaac coming back from playing lacrosse with some friends. But when a knock sounded, he frowned and reluctantly set the book down to answer the door.

He slid it open and was surprised to see Stiles standing outside, a big heart-shaped box in his arms.

"Hey," the boy started, shifting nervously on his feet. "So, uh... long time no see, right?"

Derek blinked. "Stiles. What are you doing here?"

"So it turns out my dad wasn't in Hell. He was just trapped in some other realm. But when I got rid of that bitch, he woke up in his room and barely remembered what had happened. Anyway, I just tried going back to your other place, but you had sold it. So I came here, thinking maybe you'd be here, and you were. That took a while because the places are like across the city from each other. Why did you do that, dude? It's like 30 minutes away! Unless you don't come here that often. Or there. Is that why you sold it? I mean, it was a nice pla-"

"Stiles," Derek snapped impatiently though he was relieved to hear about the boy's father. 

"Oh right! Would you help me eat all of this chocolate?" Derek stared long and hard at the boy as he held out the box, eyes wide with anticipation and nervousness. "And go out with me?"

Derek stilled then as his wolf howled and yipped excitedly. He wanted to tell Stiles that he would love to, that'd he'd go to the moon and back if he asked, that he'd missed him the past two weeks, because he was his mate. He'd do anything for him and it took him this long to realize it.

But he wasn't ready for that yet and he didn't think Stiles would be either. Besides, they needed to know each other better before he threw that on him.

So he responded with a small smile and a simple, "Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this story!!  
> I hope you enjoyed it!!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> ♡ Novkat

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on Tumblr: [novkat21](https://www.novkat.tumblr.com)


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